The UK Bartender of the Year and one of the UK’s most innovative cocktail makers will be causing a stir during this year’s Stone Food and Drink Festival.
Paul Gilmore from The Wheatsheaf, and Whitebridge Wines, have both enticed Ali Reynolds back to Staffordshire to showcase his abilities.
Ali, who can be found on Instagram as @alicampari, a former student of Staffordshire’s Denstone College, recently found fame by winning the Diageo reserve world class UK Bartender of the Year competition, and will be heading to South Africa in September to represent the UK at the global finals. Ali beat off competition from 400 other bars and bartenders to win this year’s prize with a signature cocktail which comprised, of all things, ‘ants infused with fig leaf syrup’!
Alongside winning various competitions, Ali can usually be found controlling what’s going on from his vantage point behind the bar, as the self entitled ‘Booze Captain’ down at the Spitalfields branch of The Hawksmore, the renowned eatery famed for its steaks and cocktails.
During this year’s festival, Ali will be found hosting a masterclass at Whitebridge Wines on Saturday (3rd October) during the day, before heading up to The Wheatsheaf, where he will be serving up a variety of cocktails ranging from the classic through to the more unique. Many will be his own creations, and have featured on menus from renowned restaurants including The Foxlow and The Hawksmore in London.
To complement what could perhaps be the most innovative cocktail concocting Stone has ever seen, a menu will be devised by Paul Gilmore, who in early 2015 opened what has become one of the top ‘gastropubs’ in Staffordshire – Gilmore’s at The Wheatsheaf.
Paul said: “The menu will complement the drinks and will be smaller bites and canapes to encourage sharing between friends. We wanted to put something really special on to mark our first year’s participation in Staffordshire’s leading food and drink festival.”
The Wheatsheaf will offer 100 very limited tickets for this event, which will include Paul’s specially created food menu, for just £15. Cocktails, beer, wine and other drinks will be extra on the night.
The 2015 Stone Food & Drink Festival will take place on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th October – for more details, visit www.stonefooddrink.org.uk
